October Focus on Horror: Lena Valencia
Created by Bob Helmbrecht, collection development librarian
Our Focus on Horror author today is author Lena Valencia.
Valencia’s debut collection of stories, “Mystery Lights,” was just released in August. This book received a lot of attention even before it came out, with great pre-publication reviews in venues like “Publishers Weekly” and “Kirkus,” as well as several “most-anticipated” lists. Author Kelly Link said of the collection, “These are stories full of menace and delight, drawing from that deep well of human complexity, perversity, sincerity, and hope.”
I haven’t had the chance to read this one yet, but the book is on the top of my TBR list. From the publisher’s description of some of the stories: “An influencer attempts to derail a viral TV marketing campaign with her violent cult following. A marriage between two ghost hunters is threatened when one of them loses her ability to see spirits. The lives of a famous painter in the twilight of her career and a teenage UFO enthusiast converge when a mysterious glowing orb appears in their small desert town. And a slasher-flick screenwriter looking for inspiration escapes a pack of wild dogs only to find herself locked in an SUV with a strange man beside her.”
You can find some links to Valencia’s stories on the author’s website. Give them a read, then check out “Mystery Lights” today!